Ahhh, now here is a topic that stirs the emotions and consequently considerable debate and arguing even to the point of fist a cuffs in some highly disgruntled people both in the secular and religious worlds. But, I do believe not so much with the spirit filled individual and I do consider myself as living proof of that.
I am going to ramble on with Ray's answer to the question of "whether God would want us to do these things" asked by the questioner as I also at this time in my spirit filled life, as Ray quoted, "personally have no desire to shoot a deer."
To put it mildly, by the time I could even walk, I was what you would call a "nature boy". I have always been the one to be in God's great outdoors. "Once upon a time" while going through another one of God's sever testing trials in my adult life, I decided that what I needed was much distraction from my grief (and pity party) so I persued what I would consider "therapy" for my soul. I enrolled in a two year college to study my lifelong interest in the outdoors and received an associate degree in applied science (with honors... yee haw!) in the field of wildlife management. Through internships and field work I learned much knowledge in game animals, their habitat, and every sort of hunting and mgt. technique. I was at that time a passionate hunter. If it moved.... I would shoot it. I killed many deer with a bow and arrow, rifle & shotgun; shot over 2 dozen wild turkeys, and many more squirrels, rabbits, quail, grouse, rabbits, mourning doves, crows, groundhogs etc.; mostly to eat but some (crow & groundhogs) for "sport".
What Ray had addressed to that questioner was succinctly put into words that was the whole compilation of 2 yrs. of wildlife mgt. (profound!). And that is... as a wildlife officer, what they were to tell the public was essentially what Ray stated... "Deer populations would cause starvation within their herds if they were not managed down to lower numbers." That's it! That's the honest truth!
But as the Lord was working with me as I got older, I had less and less desire to "kill" a game animal. I especially started to disdain the idea of anyone ever being a "trophy" hunter. I then would stock up my freezer and share what I had "harvested" with family, but few "city folk" could stomach the idea of eating wild game and now I could never hunt just for sport, so there came a time as the questioner had said "I watched the deer go right by my stand, and did not have the heart to take one." Yes, if I were ever to be destitute, I would never even hesitate to shoot a squirrel and eat it as I have literally hundreds of times before. The only other person who would share a meal of wild turkey or venison, or even a grouse or rabbit would be my dear old mom who was raised on a farm in Texas and ate their own livestock along with the barbecued wild boar, spanish goat, and yes, even rattlesnake along with all the fish and bullfrogs they could catch in their livestock "tanks".
Wow, have times changed! We are a modern society in this day and age and most are repulsed at the thought of how and where their food (especially meat) comes from.
Just wanted to share some about this neat little subject that Craig so generously shared with us.
Do any of you guys or gals have a similar attitude for the abstinence of hunting?
doug
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Topic: Email to Ray - Hunting? (Read 14428 times)